Timely Tartan Pro Tour boost for Sam Locke in bid to 'save my season'

The 27-year-old, who has been playing mainly on the HotelPlanner Tour this season but missed out on a double-header in China leading into the Rolex Grand Final in Mallorca, found himself eight shots off the lead after carding an opening 73 at the Edinburgh venue.

He then hauled himself back into contention with a brilliant eight-under-par 63, which included a rousing front nine of 29, before signing off with a 68 to finish with a nine-under-par aggregate.

That was matched by Englishman Mark Young, winner of the season-opening Montrose Links Masters presented by Montrose Port Authority back in May, after he finished with a birdie. However, it was Locke who came out on top in a sudden-death play-off, leaving himself with only a lob wedge at the par-5 first and clinching victory with a two-putt birdie.

It was Locke’s eighth title triumph on the circuit that was set up by Paul Lawrie to provide playing opportunities for Scottish-based players during the Covid pandemic but has since grown into an Official Satellite Tour for the HotelPlanner Tour.

“The last few years I’ve played on the Tartan Pro Tour, I’ve managed to win every year, so it was nice to get that winning feeling again,” admitted Locke, who picked up the Silver Medal as leading amateur in The Open at Carnoustie in 2008.

The Stonehaven-based player secured his HotelPlanner Tour card after finishing second behind Graeme Robertson in last year’s Tartan Pro Tour Order of Merit but, despite making 22 starts, it was disappointing for him to be sitting 132nd at the end of the regular season.

“Obviously on the HotelPlanner Tour this year it hasn’t really gone how I’d wanted, but I still have a chance to save my season at Q School,” said Locke of having finished third in his First Stage event and now preparing for the Second Stage in Spain at the end of this month. “So it is nice to get a bit of momentum going into it.

“I kind of feel my game has been getting better since midway through the season. Yeah, I’ve not quite had the results I wanted. When I’ve had a decent week, it’s just not been decent enough. But the last few weeks have been much better and getting this win is a bit of a bonus, to be honest, as I was playing it just to fill a gap and keep competitive, so to pick up a win was good.”

‘It’s nice that I’ve got another event to play in now’

It proved timely as far as the season-ending £30,000 Tour Championship presented by Gym Rental is concerned as Locke will now be in the field at Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire next week as well.

“If my season had gone well, I’d have been in China at the moment,” he mused. “But, thanks to getting the job done this week, it’s nice that I’ve got another event to play before heading to Spain at the end of the month. So, yeah, I am really happy.”